Member of Cayuga Indian dissident group denies he planned violence at nation headquarters

A member of the group trying to seize control of the Cayuga Indian Nation today denied accusations he had anything to do with the violence that flared at nation headquarters in Seneca Falls on Friday.

“I didn’t know anything about this until about 10 minutes before it happened,’’ Justin Bennett said.

On Friday, a member of Bennett’s group drove a pickup truck through a front window at the nation’s government office building on Route 89, next to the tribe’s LakeSide Trading gas station and store. Some from the group then entered the building in search of the tribe’s financial records.

Few people were in the building and no one was reportedly hurt, but the driver was arrested.

Bennett’s group voted in June to oust Clint Halftown as the nation’s federally recognized leader and his alternates, Timothy Twoguns and Gary Wheeler. The dissidents, who represent a traditional band of Cayugas, said Halftown abused his position for family gain and threatened retaliatory action against tribal members who did not agree with him.

Members of the dissident group elected new leaders and in August the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs backed their decision. However, Halftown is appealing the BIA ruling.

Bennett said unrest within his group has been building for months and said he was not surprised that it “boiled over’’ on Friday.

“I don’t condone the actions. But at the same time I understand the motive and the political background behind this,’’ Bennett said.